Writing Memoir, or Autobiography Contemplation

For several years I've been entranced by the idea of writing a great memoir, or autobiography. This is an up and coming popular genre and I've given it a few good starts. One year I decided to write autobiography for NaNoWriMo and came out with 50K of mush. I called it The Green Tea Chronicles but I may pull the name and give it to something else. Undecided at this time.

Later I studied a great memoir writing book, Your Life As Story, and discovered that memoirs are better if focused on only a small section of the journey of life. So I thought deeply on that and came up with the idea of writing about my time in an organized religion... which my daughter still belongs to. She didn't think this was a good idea. I'm not so sure. So the jury is still out on whether that story will ever be written.

I have a lot of stories wrapped up inside of me... but for now I'm publishing fiction. My novel, River Girl, will be published soon.

Perhaps I should continue with the autobiographical writing, and memoirs, and then never publish them. The remnants could allow someone else to write my biography someday. I have to admire people who write great biographies. It must be much more difficult to do research and write about other people's lives, not your own. In comparison, all one has to do for autobiography is open a vein and let the blood flow. It puddles up on the paper and a story is revealed.

The most important thing, of course, is to just keep writing. Talking about it doesn't help a bit. Only printed words count.

Chicken Pox and Gardening

I have so much to do today - and am feeling sick. I've already been up and working since 2 am.

My son just got over chicken pox and my daughter is getting them - though since she had a shot we hope it won't be as severe a case.

I had them when I was very young. I don't remember being sick as much as I remember when my mother told me it was okay to go back outside and play again. We were living in a house on Mira Vista Drive in El Cerrito then - and I remember being able to go outside to play on the swing - and my mom cutting my fingernails - and her putting clothes on the line or taking them down... something like that.

It was a pretty yard with lots of flowers.

This morning I went outside and planted the rest of my flower seeds. We've already got some things coming up in the garden. Hopefully a lot of these seeds will grow too. We bought new topsoil for the flower bed this year. My son has worked hard to landscape the yard.